Successful Development, Dissemination, and Adoption of Research Based Recommendations Lead to Profitable Producers.

The United States has an abundant, safe, and reliable supply of inexpensive food for its 313 million inhabitants.  Just 2% of the US population is directly involved in agricultural production on 2.2 million farms.  Extension educators employed by Land Grant Universities throughout the US and associated territories provide technical information to producers.  In North Dakota and Minnesota, growers produce 60% of the US sugar beet, an industry which has a total economic activity of $4 billion.  In 1998, growers lost over $100 million because they could not effectively control Cercospora leaf spot caused by the fungus Cercospora beticola. Basic research was conducted to better understand the biology of the fungus to develop management strategies.  Field research was conducted to determine which fungicides could be used in a rotational program to control the pathogen in an economical and sustainable manner.  Growers were invited to research demonstration sites to observe how the disease was managed.  Research data were collected, analyzed, published and developed into practical recommendations.  These recommendations were disseminated to growers, other educators, and consultants at seminars and by using production guides, research reports, circulars, a weekly radio program during the growing season and available on the internet, and face-to-face meetings with growers.  An annual growers’ survey indicates that growers successfully adopted recommendations to effectively control Cercospora leaf spot and manage fungicide resistance.  The average number of fungicide applications in 2014 was reduced by 52% compared to the last epidemic in 1998, and 94% of survey respondents indicated good (29%) or excellent (65%) disease control with fungicides.  Current growers practice has resulted in savings of over $15 million in crop protection costs annually with no adverse impact on yield.